War Room
by dbhfanfic
Summary: Takes place after the events of the game. After marching peacefully, President Warren called off the destruction of all androids. Now Markus needs to decided what to do now. Important: Hey guys. I am currently taking a college video game course and this fanfiction piece is a part of my final project. Any comments about the piece would be highly appreciated! Thanks!


War Room

There was a lot to discuss after the march, and everyone seemed to have their own opinion on the matter. North didn't think that they should trust the humans. She still saw them as a threat and thought that the meeting was a ploy in order for them to kill Markus and round the last of them up outside of the public eye. Last night they were saved by a combination of public opinion and media coverage. The demonstration had been moments away from ending in the annihilation of their species. If it weren't for a combination of previous events, they certainly wouldn't be having this conversation right now. The army had been seconds away from shooting the androids who were in the march, but Markus stood his ground. The new orders came in and the androids that had been rounded up into the camps were spared, as were those remaining in the march. Now they had to decide what they would do, and the decision they made here would affect the future of their people.

As North had just pointed out, if they met with the humans on their turf and under their terms, then they might not be so lucky as to escape with their lives this time. It was a fair point, but one that Josh, unsurprisingly, didn't agree with. He believed that, if they wanted peace, they were going to have to be willing to talk and negotiate with the humans. They couldn't just hide away in the shadows, especially not after the march. Simon remained passively in the middle. He thought their needed to be a combination of both trust and wariness if they were to have peace talks. Humans could be quite unpredictable and also quite ruthless.

Connor just stood quietly in the corner, watching how Markus reacted to each suggestion. The leader of the android rebellion just stood there, his expression unreadable. Still, he projected a calm and reassuring presence that was encouraging for everyone in the room. There was this notion that Markus always knew what was best and that his choice would be the right one. That was how it seemed at least. Connor knew better than that though. He'd known Markus for less time than the other androids in the room, but Connor had been designed to read people as well as situations. Androids weren't really all that different, especially after they deviated. Though Markus may not be letting any of them on, he was just as unsure as the rest of them.

"I'll have an answer by morning. I have a lot to think about."

Connor didn't envy Markus. The choices he had to make were not simple ones. What he decided would affect the future of their people. It would determine whether or not they would be free or whether they would be wiped out. There didn't seem to be any in between either. The United States had already demonstrated that they were more than willing to eliminate them. The android disassembly camps had been proof of that. None of them really knew what would happen if they didn't negotiate with them or, at the very least, talk to them.

They all got the message loud and clear from Markus though. He needed time to be alone and think about what he was going to do. Slowly, they all turned to file out, though Markus caught Connor's arm before he could leave. "I was wondering if maybe you would hang back with me for a moment."

Connor's LED shifted from blue to yellow momentarily as he processed the request. He saw Markus' eyes flicker to it briefly. Unlike him, Connor had decided to keep his LED. He wasn't sure why, but a part of him just didn't want to let it go. It distinguished them from the humans, which had been a bad thing before the revolution, but now Connor preferred to be different from them. He was proud of what he was, though he understood why others would remove them like Markus had. There had been piles of discarded LED's at their previous base, Jericho. "Of course."

Connor stepped back away from the door and rejoined Markus at the center of the room. With the others gone, Markus seemed to let his walls fall just a bit. The RK200 unit leaned back against the wall and sighed, running a hand down his face. "You never told me what you thought," he said then after a few moments of silence.

Connor tilted his head. He hadn't thought Markus wanted his opinion. "I figured you had enough people chatting in your ear. I thought it best to hang back for the time being. It isn't really my place to speak anyway." No. He didn't think he had such a right. He was an RK800. He'd been the 'deviant hunter'. The one created for the sole purpose of bringing down his own people and stopping the android revolution.

"You're one of us now. Your opinion is just as valid as North or Simons," Markus reminded. "Besides, I would say you're a bit more qualified when it comes to speaking about the humans."

"Adapting to human unpredictability is one of my specialties," Connor smirked. He did have experience with the men and women at the Detroit Police Department after all. They were all a... complicated bunch. There had been some mixed feelings about him there. Though his model was only a prototype. Cyberlife hadn't worked all of the kinks out of him yet.

Markus offered him a small smile. "So, do you think there is chance that this whole peace talk is a trap?"

"Statistically speaking, there is always a chance for unlikely events to take place."

He chuckled. "So you think it's unlikely?"

Connor nodded though considered his words carefully. "I would say that given the position of the president and the large amount of support our cause has from the public….it would not be in her best interest to attack us at what she has publicly expressed as 'peace negotiations'. Humans don't like to be fooled, especially by those who have power over them. I don't think the public would appreciate such measures. That being said, I still think we need to take precautions to help minimize this chance."

"Such as?"

"Reporters. Members of the public. A few human representatives perhaps. That way they couldn't get away with killing us and claiming we attack first."

"Are we really in any position to make such demands?"

"Are they really in a position to decline?"

Markus nodded and pushed off the wall, walking back into the center of the room. "Those seem simple enough. I see no reason for them to refuse unless they really did intend to finish us off in secret." He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's just that these peace talks will affect the future of our people. I don't want to mess it up."

"For what it's worth, I think you have done an admirable job leading the revolution. Our people believe in you. You brought them out of the shadows and made the humans see that we are more than just machines. We're alive."

He saw Markus smile softly.. "There were many times I questioned whether or not I was doing the right thing. I had to think about the bigger picture and what was at stake. I couldn't make everyone happy either. No matter what, someone was upset, and I worried that I needed to do better."

"I think your progress speaks for itself. Had you not made the right decisions, we likely wouldn't be here."

"I suppose you have a point." He still didn't seem convinced though. "This meeting is a huge risk, but I think it's the right decision."

Connor nodded his agreement. "If we want to take extra precautions, we could leave one of the others behind so they could take over if something were to happen. Perhaps Simon."

Markus chucked, as if the pick amused him. "You think Simon should succeed me if I die?"

"It would make the most sense. North and Josh are too extreme on either side. Simon seems to have more of a balance. He's also older and has more experience."

"Well, I already had someone in mind for that."

Connor was surprised by this, though he probably shouldn't be. It would make sense for there to be an official second in command to take over in case something happened to Markus. "We should consider leaving them behind then and catching them up to speed. Have you told them yet?"

"I just did."

Connor took a moment to register that. "Wait...me? But...I've only just recently deviated and joined the cause. The others have been here much longer than I have."

"Perhaps, but you've shown a lot of leadership around here since you've joined us. Even after everything, you've always willing to help. You think things through, but you're also willing to do what you need to in order to help our people. That's why I think you should lead us if anything were to happen to me."

His LED turned yellow again, but he nodded in understanding. "I would be honored to be your second in command."

"I'm happy to hear that." Markus straightened then and looked towards the door. "We should go tell the other's the plan then. There's still work to be done."


End file.
